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Giraffes

Giraffes also known as its scientific name Camelopardalis, these brownish, blackish, orangish, spotty separated by light-colored or whitish lines creatures, are the world’s tallest Mammals which live in the African range around the southern part of the Sahara in the savannas and grassland areas. The giraffe also has 2 horns on the head. A giraffe is a vertebrate and has a long neck. A giraffe grow to 19ft and their legs are probably taller than an average human about 6 feet. Their long legs allow them to run as fast as 35 miles an hour. Giraffes are herbivores and eat up to 65 pounds of vegetation daily. They use their height to reach leaves and buds in treetops that many other animals can’t reach. Even the giraffe's tongue is long, it’s about 21 inch. Giraffes spend most of their time eating. They can live up to a 25 year lifespan and weight up to 2,800 pounds. Giraffes live in herds of about 12 without a true dominant leader, though males fight for leadership by swinging their necks at each other to find out who is strongest. During the day, the young giraffes, which are called calves, they are too young to eat with the herd, so they are kept together in a group with one female to watch over them. The other females go out to get food. Female giraffes give birth standing up. The babies can stand in about 30 minutes after birth and can run with their mothers within 10 hours after birth. Giraffe classification; Kingdom-Animalia Phylum-Chordata Class-Mammalia Order-Artiodactyla Family-Giraffidae. Scientist have theorized that the appearance of the giraffe could be evidence of equilibrium but the lack of evidence made them over think doe to evidence from fossil records and DNA. The most reliable estimate of the giraffe’s ancestors probably lived about 8 million years ago and lived in what is now southern central Europe. Before this, an antelope-like creature lived in the forests of Asia and Europe around 30 - 50 million years ago. The extension of the neck...

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...The giraffe is one of only two living species of the family Giraffidae, the other being the okapi. The family was once much more extensive, with over 10 fossil genera described. Giraffids first arose 8 million years ago (mya) in south-central Europe during the Miocene epoch. The superfamily Giraffoidea, together with the family Antilocapridae (whose only extant species is the pronghorn), evolved from the extinct family Palaeomerycidae.[9] The earliest known giraffid was the deer-like Climacoceras.
While the progressive elongation of the neck and limbs can be found throughout the giraffid lineage, it became more pronounced in genera such as Giraffokeryx, Palaeotragus (possible ancestor of the okapi), Samotherium, and Bohlinia.[9] Bohlinia entered China and northern India in response to climate change. From here, the genus Giraffa evolved and, around 7 mya, entered Africa. Further climate changes caused the extinction of the Asian giraffes, while the African ones survived and radiated into several new species. G. camelopardalis arose around 1 mya in eastern Africa during the Pleistocene.[9] Some biologists suggest that the modern giraffe descended from G. jumae;[10] others find G. gracilis a more likely candidate.[9] The main driver for the evolution of the giraffes is believed to have been the change from extensive forests to more open habitats, which began 8 mya.[9] Some researchers have hypothesized this new habitat...

...GIRAFFE FACT SHEET
STATUS:
Vulnerable.
DESCRIPTION:
Giraffes are one of the world's tallest mammals. They
are well known for their long necks, long legs, and
spotted patterns. Giraffes have small "horns" or knobs
on top of their heads that grow to be about five inches
long. These knobs are used to protect the head in
fights.
SIZE:
Male giraffes are larger than females. Males weigh
between 2,400 and 3,000 pounds and stand up to 19
feet tall. Female giraffes weigh between 1,600 and
2,600 pounds and grow to be 16 feet tall.
POPULATION:
Giraffe populations are relatively stable.
LIFESPAN:
Healthy giraffes live about 25 years in the wild.
RANGE:
Giraffes can be found in central, eastern and southern
Africa.
HABITAT:
Giraffes live in the savannas of Africa, where they roam
freely among the tall trees, arid land, dense forests and
open plains.
FOOD:
Their long necks help giraffes eat leaves from tall trees, typically acacia trees. If they need to, giraffes can go for several
days without water. Instead of drinking, giraffes stay hydrated by the moisture from leaves.
BEHAVIOR:
Giraffes are non-territorial, social animals. They travel in large herds that are not organized in any way. Herds may consist
of any combination of sexes or ages.
OFFSPRING:
Female giraffes typically give birth to...

...﻿Anatomy of a Giraffe
BIO/101
06/19/2012
Audrey Stevenson
Ref. Mammal Anatomy 2010 Marshall Cavendish Corporation
The Giraffe is perhaps one of the most iconic species of Africa and to the mysteries and intrigue that lie within the confines of evolution. The purpose of this paper is to explain how this wonderful, iconic organism has evolved physiologically to be suited to its’ environment. In this paper we will be discussing the elements that best describe its’ evolutionary progress. The areas we will be covering include the Skeletal System, the Digestive and Excretory System, and small parts of the Circulatory System. But first we will start with the evolution of the Giraffe, what family it belongs to, what some of its relatives are, and what some of its ancestors are.
Giraffes are a Ruminant. According to Dictionary.com (2012) a Ruminant is “any even-toed, hoofed mammal of the suborder Ruminantia, being comprised of cloven-hoofed, cud-chewing quadrupeds, and including, besides domestic cattle, bison, buffalo, deer, antelopes, giraffes, camels, and chevrotains.” Most Ruminants are considered what scientists call “Even-Toed Ungulates” and Giraffes are very even-toed and they belong to the order of Artiodactyla. Being even-toed means just that, they have an even number of toes on each foot. Relatives and family members of the Artiodactyla include most types of deer and...

...Why did I choose to write my essay about the giraffe? I chose to write my essay about the giraffe because this mammal has been my favorite animal since the third grade. My science teacher had us do a project about an animal. I did mine on the giraffe and working on that project I became more fascinated by the giraffe as I was working on the project. It made me just wanted to know more. This is why I chose to write my essay about the giraffe.
I already knew a little bit of information about the giraffe. I knew that when baby giraffes are born they are dropped five feet to the ground. There is some information I did not know and wanted to know. I wanted to know why their necks are so long; I found out their necks are long so they can be able to look through bushes and tree to eat. They eat the leave off the Acacia tree. I also wanted to know is their only one type of giraffe and I found our there are nine different type of giraffes. There are some things that I knew and things I did not know and I learned a lot.
The giraffe is an interesting animal and I learned a lot of new information; it is an African mammal. It’s the tallest land living animal. Males can be 16 to 18 feet tall and weight up to 3,800 pounds. Females are slightly shorter, and weigh less than males do. The giraffe is placed in the scientific...

...﻿Giraffes are the world’s tallest mammals, due to their towering legs, and long necks. A giraffes legs alone are taller than any humans, about 6-feet and can run as fast as 56 kilometres an hour. This herbivorous animal roams the open grasslands in small groups, called herds. In comparison, lions are carnivores and are known as the ‘King of the Jungle’. They are the only cats that live in groups, which are called prides. These Mammals are celebrated throughout history for their courage and strength.
A Giraffe’s being a herbivore, their diet consists of leaves from bushes, especially trees. In the wild their primary foods are the leaves and twigs of acacia, mimosa, and wild apricot trees. Typically a Giraffe will eat about 30kgs of food a day. Their water requirements are similar to those of a camel. They can go for weeks or even months without any water at all. Its strong mouth and its great height allow it to reach food most other animals can’t. In comparison a lion actually eats young Giraffes! Being carnivores, their prey consists of mainly large mammals, such as Antelopes, Gazelles, Warthogs, Buffalos and Zebras. Smaller animals such as, Hares and birds are taken occasionally too. An Adult female Lion needs about 5 kg of meat per day and a male about 7 kg.
What about their dentition? A Giraffe has very tough lips to ensure that no damage is done to their mouths when...

...important and what I feel is the greatest animal studied in zoology is the giraffe also known as Giraffa camelopardalis. The giraffe is the tallest animal averaging seventeen feet. Giraffes usually weigh about 2,500 lbs. Giraffes along with their extremely tall bodies have tongues usually fifteen inches long.
Both sexes have two or four short, blunt, skin-covered horns. The coat has chestnut brown blotches against a brown background, markings that blend with the many different trees. As a giraffe ages, its color grows a darker brown. Each animal has a unique set of markings. Giraffes have keen sense of smell, seeing, and fantastic eyesight. A giraffe’s lifespan is up to twenty-six years in the wild and thirty-six years in captivity. Giraffes live on dry savannas and open woodland. They range south in the Sahara and in large numbers only in East Africa. Giraffes are herbivores, they eat mainly on leaves from acacia, mimosa, and wild apricot trees.
Scientists have discovered many interesting facts about giraffes. One fact is that giraffes may have existed during the Quaternary period. This period is the division of geologic time in the Cenozoic period. Evidence has been found that the Sahara was occupied by giraffes and other land-grazing animals, during the later part of this time period. Scientists have found...

...Standing at 18ft tall or more, the giraffe is the world’s tallest land animal. Under the species name, Giraffa Camelopardalis, there are a total of 6 subspecies that are identified by their different coat patterns. Since the giraffe’s spots are similar to the leaves of a tree, they can easily camouflage themselves to hide from predators. Both the male and female giraffe have a spotted coat, but vary between small, medium, and large patches. The giraffe’s neck ranges from 6 to 7ft in length, which is thought to have come from natural selection, or adaptation. Though containing the same amount of bones in its neck as an average human, “the main difference is giraffe’s bones are much longer” (TNVRSTAR). A giraffe’s tongue is pretty long also; it is about 21 inches and an interesting fact is that their tongues are a blue-black color to keep it from becoming sunburned. Because giraffe’s tongues are really long, they’re also able to clean their ears with them.
“Giraffes live in open habitats, such as savannas and grasslands because of their height and natural diet” (Morgaine Michaels). Giraffes can eat up to 77 pounds of food daily excluding meat. Giraffes mainly eat leaves, flowers, fruits, and sometimes even soil when the ground is salty or filled with minerals. A giraffe can go days without water, even longer than camels. This
actually protects themselves from water dependent...